Completed just before his death, GANG RELATED is Tupac Shakur's final film in what was still a promising career. Starring with the illustrious Jim Belushi, Shakur plays the role of a crooked cop tormented by his conscience; a role that closely paralleled his musical persona of a street thug struggling to redeem himself. He also contributes several cuts to the soundtrack.GANG RELATED is a double-CD featuring the work of veteran west coast rappers Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate Dogg and Ice Cube as well as several relative newcomers. But it's Shakur's work that is the most poignant, especially in light of his death. On "Life's So Hard" he laments the difficulties he faces in the lifestyle that he has chosen and wishes for transcendence. This theme resurfaces several times on the album, and listening to "Staring Through My Rearview," one gets the sense that Shakur can see the light at the end of the tunnel, a light that will always be just out of his reach as he struggles with the specter of his past.